THE 1878 MILWAUKEE GRAYS

July 8, 1878 at Davenport
Grays defeat Davenport 10-1 (exhibition)
Season record: 7-21-1

There is a story from the Davenport paper but it is mostly, unfortunately, unreadable.

Notable:
- "It was the most peculiar game ever witnessed. In the first place, the visitors insides upon using the League ball which is a live ball and one-fourth inch larger than the Spalding ball used by the Davenports …" [The NL used a Spalding baseball, so this is a bit puzzling.]
- It is noted that the ball bounds higher as well.
- The article appears to say the Milwaukees insisted on using this ball or they wouldn’t play.
- It is known that “Bid” McPhee, a Hall of Fame second baseman, played for Davenport in 1878 and hit .333 in 39 games. It is hard to tell from the box if he played in this game, but it appears as though he did.